1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to measuring devices and, more particularly, to a hand-held measuring apparatus for quickly and easily determining whether or not a food product is properly shaped and/or sized.
2. Description of Related Art
Measurement is a fundamental process in all production environments. In general, measurement involves comparing an article to be measured with some accepted standard. Exemplary general purpose measuring instruments include the familiar ruler, vernier calipers, and micrometers. Although such general purpose measuring instruments can be used in a variety of applications, they are not the best choice for repeatedly verifying the size and/or shape of a series of like articles.
Many food products, such as tortillas, are produced in a fast-moving assembly line environment. The size and shape of the tortilla may vary as a result of upstream changes in dough content, misalignment of machine components, etc. It is therefore necessary to periodically verify the size and shape of the product as part of quality control.
The known measuring instruments are generally unsuited for the repeated measurement of like shaped and sized articles. For example, if one were using an ordinary ruler to verify the size and shape of a tortilla, it would be necessary to make a time-consuming plurality of straight line measurements. Moreover, it is very difficult to use the known measuring instruments to measure product that is rapidly advancing on a conveyor belt.